


Tell Me Something

by Lakeylou



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-16 15:04:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4629786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakeylou/pseuds/Lakeylou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lizzie asks Red to tell her something.<br/>Red&Lizzie on the run. Lizzington</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell Me Something

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own The Blacklist!

The first time Raymond Reddington tells Elizabeth Keen what he thinks of her, he doesn't get carried away.

They have an argument in the rain before he tells her. 

The argument starts when he fails to mention that he had been in contact with Tom Keen. 

They are out to dinner when he tells her about Tom. Nowhere special but Lizzie wanted Thai, so Red tracked down the closest, most authentic place he could. It's a small eating place with just a handful of other diners. The perfect place for Lizzie to have a go at him and grab the attention of every single person there.

It starts off with small talk; they are getting quite good at it now. He makes her laugh with ridiculous comments and helps her to decide what to order.

And then Lizzie becomes, well, curious Lizzie.

It really shouldn’t be a surprise to him.

“Who were you talking to earlier?”

Red inhales the steam rising from his curry. It's a Thai green curry and he's so, so eager to dive in. There’s a lot of heat in it which is good because he’s going to need any distraction he can get now he's dealing with a curious Lizzie. He lifts a spoon of the sauce to his mouth, doesn’t bother with the chicken or roti bread; he needs the full heat. 

“You just ate the chili garnish.”

She’s right, there was quite the generous topping of sliced chili and the seeds were still intact. It’s hot but pleasant, and Liz has changed the subject already. 

“You seemed angry on the phone… A little upset.”

Lizzie doesn’t give up on things easily, a stupid mistake on his part to believe she would. 

“Are you going to try your meal, Lizzie?” He asks, dabbing the corners of his mouth with his napkin. 

“Once you answer me.”

Red can feel his chest begin to lift, preparing his lungs for a long, drawn out sigh, but he catches himself before he does because it will only make her angrier or more persistent. She’s piercing him with her icy blues at the moment; they are hard, cold but incredibly stunning. Lizzie has the most beautiful eyes out of any person, anywhere. It’s the sort of stare he gets from her on occasion, usually when she’s feisty and full of energy. 

He’s not going to get out of here alive, he thinks. 

Or he should toss away his curry now because he won't be eating anymore tonight.

What a waste, he thinks.

“It was Tom.”

Sometimes, Red thinks, it’s easier to just tell her as quickly as possible. He’s been learning, he has, which she can at least be grateful for. But her gaping mouth, and the paling of her face suggests otherwise.

He's definitely not making it out alive.

Or he’ll be chasing a very, very angry Lizzie.

Such fun, he thinks, here they go again. 

“What?”

“Tom Keen, Lizzie. Calling again to take you away. Wanted us to meet him off the coast of-”

“And you, you what? Didn’t think to tell me?”

Red glides his tongue across the roof of his mouth. The heat from the chili didn’t last long enough. He looks around the room wondering why on earth their bottle of wine has not already been served. He looks back to her, his eyes quickly scanning the other diners as he does. They're minding their own business for the time being. Lizzie looks mad, so mad that he's feeling a bit on edge. 

“Tom is not important, Lizzie. What is important is keeping you-”

“What is important is for you to tell me these things.”

He can tell she’s about to stand. Her knuckles are milk against the red cloth and they're clenching around the edge of the table. She’s a ball of fire really, her cheeks are as red as the chili garnish on her meal. He really wanted her to try the massaman curry she ordered. He deserves her anger though, he knows, god he knows. But Tom had called just the once, and Liz seemed so tremendously excited about Thai for dinner that he didn’t want to burst her little bubble. 

But if he’s being honest, and he will tell her this if she asks: he’s not sure when he was actually going to tell her Tom called.

Because he wants her to forget Tom Keen. 

“I need to be able to trust you,” she continues. “You need to tell me everything that goes on, Red.”

“So you could go away with him? Lizzie.” He frowns, the conversation of Tom stings more than he expected. “I would like to think I was doing you a favor.”

“Right.” Lizzie does stand this time, and Red is so bitterly disappointed he only had the one spoon of his curry that his bottom lip protrudes. Lizzie’s meal is untouched; he hopes it remains that way because her scowl is fierce, and he’d hate for her to strike out and knock the bowl over. 

“So you get to just decide everything.” 

“Lizzie, can you sit?”

“No! No I cannot sit,” she hisses, throwing the napkin she had draped over her knees at him. It lands on his chest then falls, the corners going into his curry. Suddenly he feels deflated. This meal was meant to be relaxing for her, enjoyable. They’ve been on the run for two months now and he’s extremely proud of how she’s been handling things. 

“I’m walking home.”

“Lizzie.”

He stares after her when she storms off. She’s all dressed in black and he thinks she looks rather lovely. Her hairs up in a high ponytail and he observes the ponytail swing side-to-side. She’s going to get away from him as fast as possible, he assumes. It gets him up from his chair. He pulls a generous amount of cash from his pocket and leaves it’s on the table. There’s a waitress standing next to him now; she looks a bit startled. 

“Really delicious,” he tells her. 

When he gets outside the sky is already beginning to spit, so he gives himself the opportunity to sigh. She’s miles ahead of him already, the hoods up on her jacket, and she’s not going to stop.

He tries to call anyway.

“Lizzie!” 

And then, Red does manage a smile, only a small one because Lizzie has slowed down. He realizes it’s not because he called her, but because she’s lost. She wasn’t really paying attention when they walked here, the sky was clear for the first time that day and the rainbow that greeted them had her captivated. 

Terrible, terrible timing, Red thinks, as he picks up a steady pace to catch Lizzie while she's stopped. His gunshot wound has healed relatively well, but he’s most definitely not fit enough to have a running race with the woman. His steps aren’t careful enough either, so his pants and socks are quickly becoming sodden. He's had no luck with the amount of puddles he's stepped in.

“Please, can we stop with the running, Lizzie.” 

She watches him press his hand firm against his side. Her expression softens. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Fine.”

She does look skeptical, but her fury from before resurfaces and she bites down on her lip instead of demanding the truth.

“What way do I go?”

“Can we walk together?”

Her face falls again and he’s feeling even worse now, feeling rather regretful -as always- for not doing what she wanted, needed. For not letting her believe he trusts her with everything. 

He should of told her, he thinks, he should have told her.

“Red, I’m so angry.” She begins and he thinks that this, this should really be his last time he keeps things from her. 

“I thought I was doing you a favor.” 

She’s getting wet now or she’s been crying, or perhaps a bit of both because her eye makeup has smudged just a little under her eyes. He shrugs out of his jacket. 

“Well, you thought wrong,” she says, and he mulls over the tone of her voice. Perhaps she’s beginning to feel a little deflated too. But then he thinks about what she actually means. What does Lizzie mean? That meeting Tom is something she wants? 

And before he says anything, he decides that he needs to give her his jacket. Her hood is doing well to protect her hair, but it’s so thin and she must be freezing.

She shakes her head.

And he expects her to do that, so he steps closer and brings the coat around her back, lets it drop on her shoulders. 

“You still love him,” he says and watches her slip her arms through the sleeves of his coat. It warms him a little, watching her accept it, and makes the wet shirt sticking to his skin feel better.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“And you know everything about me and everything I’m thinking do you?”

Red smiles softly at her, if only he thinks. If only he knew every little detail of Elizabeth Keen. 

“A man can only wish to know those things, Lizzie. Although, I’m not sure I’d like to know… everything… you’re thinking. ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’d rather not know what you think of me.”

He thinks, maybe a bit selfishly, that he really knows how to soothe her temper - by accident he admits- because she looks almost hurt by his comment, a little taken back, guilty. No longer angry. 

“God, I don’t think that awfully of you.”

He gestures for them to continue walking. He's pleased when she agrees, though she keeps a steady pace and remains a step ahead at all times. Lizzie strips off his jacket once they’ve made it back to their small home. He takes it from her and hangs it to dry on the hook. 

“I’m going to bed,” she says. 

“Lizzie.” Red puts out a hand. He doesn’t touch her but hopes the movement will stop her. When it does and he's gained her attention, he clears his throat. “I want you to think about it.”

“About what?”

“This situation with Tom. From what I understand he will continue to try and get in contact with you.”

“So you’re giving me permission to what? Talk to him? Or go away with him?”

And then Red does what he really doesn't want to do. What he's never wants to do with Lizzie. He gets annoyed. Frustrated at her tone, at the way she's treating him as if he's some strict father of hers. 

“I’m failing to understand Lizzie, what all this ‘giving you permission’ means?” There's a quiver in his voice and he tries to smooth it. “I’m not locking you away like you're some Rapunzel.”

“I know that.”

“I’m helping you. I’m trying incredibly hard here, Lizzie, to keep you safe.”

She nods and now he’s feeling guilty because she’s feeling guilty. So he rubs a hand over his head, down his neck and rubs his fingers at the base. 

“I know this hard for you.” He says, and he can see her begin to crumble and god, she knows how to soothe him too. “You’re doing so well though, Lizzie.” He says quieter, softer.

"Red," She says abruptly, she looks unsure. "I need you to do something."

"Alright."

"Tell me something."

"Sorry?"

"Tell me something that you think about me."

"Lizzie-"

"Red, anything. Please."

It's not exactly hard to think of something, Red thinks, but the command is an odd one. She looks as if she's about to fall into him though, curl against his chest. He wouldn't mind, but by the looks of it, she is trying so hard not to. 

She wants to be comforted and he wants to comfort, but she's not willing to let him hold her.

"I think you're incredibly stubborn, Lizzie." He says, and he's wearing a frown, but it's only because he's thinking. "Often stormy and intense to the point that i almost find you frightening. "

"I sound horrible-"

"And soft and warm."

"I'm soft and warm?"

"I think you are, yes."

Red enjoys the affection from her smile. He's amused her, maybe even cheered her up for the time being. 

He could say so much more, he thinks, but he doesn't want to get carried away.

She takes a step back toward the staircase, and she's about to leave to her room, but she stops.

"Do you want me to tell you something?"

"No thank you, Lizzie."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She smiles at him, a brilliant smile that holds an apology of sorts and Red thinks it could be because of the Thai they left.

"I don't love him." She says before she turns. "I don't want to sail away with someone when i can't even bring myself to call them by their real name."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

And Red watches her climb the stairs. He just hopes he said all the right things.


End file.
